Background: Testosterone level in men decreases with aging (andropause) and androgen deficiency is responsible for a variety of behavioral symptoms such as anxiety. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Pistacia atlantica (bane) fruit extract on anxiety-like behavior in intact and gonadectomized rats.

Materials and Methods: In this study, adult male rats were divided into two groups of intact and gonadectomized rats. The rats were submitted to a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) paradigm, and subdivided into treated or nontreated groups (100 mg/kg of bane extract orally daily for 20 days). Anxiety-like behavior was evaluated using the elevated plus maze (EPM) test.

Results: Bane treatment increased the percentage of both time spent and entries in the open arms of EPM in intact and gonadectomized rats. Additionally, the effects of chronic stress were reversed by bane treatment; the percentages of entries and time spent in the open arms decreased in intact and gonadectomized chronically stressed rats.

Conclusions: These results suggest that P. atlantica may have some anxiolytic-like properties in castrated and intact rats.